Construction is finally underway again on the Rayzor Ranch development in Denton.
Rayzor Ranch broke ground more than five years ago; however, the massive commercial and residential development was put on hold when its leadership changed hands and the economy crashed.
The 400-acre development is getting back on track.
"It's huge," City of Denton Director of Economic Development Linda Ratliff said. "It was just really something Denton really didn't have."
Ratliff said parts of Rayzor Ranch have been built. Big-box stores like Walmart and Sam's Club opened two years ago, but the $1 billion project hit some roadblocks.
"We were left without a developer for a while. That's when the economy went down," Ratliff said. "It sort of became a joke of - 'When is it going to happen?' 'It's never going to happen.'"
David Gonzalez manages Villa Grande and said his restaurant was impacted by the construction delays.
Local
The latest news from around North Texas.
"We would tell people, 'Oh, we will open next month. Oh, next month. Oh, next month.' That happened for about a year. I was embarrassed to tell people when we were going to open," Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez's business and development around it are picking up.
Nearly 200,000 square feet of commercial space are currently under construction, including a spot where a Kohl's Department Store is being built.
"I'm hoping as soon as they build everything they are supposed to build out here, we will get the crowd we expected," Gonzalez said.
